Shrirama Rathotsava Fair

This is celebrated in the ancient temple of Shrirama in the district of Jalgaon. This is a very old temple and can be dated back to the rule of the Peshwa kings. In this temple, Sri Rama is seen flanked by his consort Sita, his brother Laxman and his Bhakt Lord Hanuman. This fair is conducted annually at the temple premises.

The fair takes place every year in the months of October – November for a period of ten days. That is the time, when people offer prayers and have a good time as there are many celebrations like Navaratri, Diwali around the corner. The district of Jalgaon and the temple of Sri Rama here wear a festive look as they celebrate the annual fair during such time in the latter part of October and first part of November.

Celebration of Shrirama Rathotsava Fair

Lord Sri Rama was considered to be a very righteous man and he went through all the difficulties that an ordinary human being would go through in spite of being an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was sent to exile in the forest a day before he was supposed to become King where the demon King Raavan captured his wife Sita. A big battle ensued and he spent 14 years in the wilderness looking for his wife and praying for her safety.

During the months of October and November, the people of Jalgaon visit the temple and offer their prayers to the great God and take up vows that they will try to be a good son, good husband and good human being like Lord Rama. The priests in the temple take out the idols of Rama, Sita, Laxman and Hanuman in a long procession and bathe them in the river Girna. This is a once in a year activity and there are tourists who flock to see this. After the bathing ceremony, the idols are decked in new clothes, loads of jewellery and flower garlands of different colours. They are then taken back to the temple and offered many poojas and prayers.

Tourism in Shrirama Rathotsava Fair

Though the Shrirama Rathotsava Fair is primarily for the people who reside in Jalgaon, there are tourists who come from other parts of Maharashtra and even the country to take part in these celebrations. There is a lot of crowd on the days of the fair and the temple timings also change in order to accommodate the timings of the bathing ceremony in the river and the procession of the idols.

Interesting Fact about Shrirama Rathotsava Fair

It is a rare occasion to see the divine bathing of these idols. It is considered to be a blessing for tourists who can take part in this festival as it is not an everyday affair.

Tips for Tourist in Shrirama Rathotsava Fair

The tourists are requested to keep the temple premises, the river and other areas as clean as they can. Avoiding littering the places with used papers, plastic objects and clothes is as good as performing a sin, so the tourists should consider it our duty to keep the temple and its surrounding clean.

Since there is heavy rush at the fair, and the devotees do not want to be robbed, it is better they take care of their valuables.

How to Reach

By Air

For the comfort of the tourists and since it has been noted that there is a good tourist flow to the place, the government has been planning an airport in Jalgaon. Once this is operational, tourists can just arrive at this airport and take part in the fair. However, otherwise they can still fly into Mumbai airport that has good flight connections from major cities in the country.

By Train

Jalgaon has a railway head that is well connected to other major rail stations in the country. This is a cheaper option when compared to flying in and there are more connections as well. This will be easier for tourists who are coming in as bigger groups.

By Bus

Since Jalgaon is one of the districts that has seen considerable growth, the road connections are all well established. There are air conditioned and non-air conditioned buses that ply to Jalgaon from most of the cities. There are taxis and autos as well to help tourists reach the temple.